Retail experiences have come a long way in the past decade. Apple’s new floating store in Singapore’s Marina Bay is just the latest example of innovative ideas, all designed to enhance the shopping (and brand) experience.

And while I am a huge fan of bold architecture and the use of technology advances such as augmented reality, my favorite brand experience has nothing to do with any of that. It has to do with a company that truly understands its audience and what it values most. And that company is Build-a-Bear Workshop.

I know it sounds like an unexpected choice but ‘bear’ with me. As a father, what I valued most was quality time with my daughter while she was growing up. Because you never get that time back. And a Build-A-Bear store experience was quality time from the minute you walked in their door right up to the cash register you finally arrived at an hour later.

It started with a simple $10 bear and it ended with a $45 member of the family. In between, I watched my daughter put a heart inside the bear, record her own message she could hear when she squeezed the bear, dress it just how she wanted to from an array of clothing choices, and then add any kind of crazy accessories from caps to sunglasses and more. The first time we went there, I remember thinking was ‘How did that $10 bear become a $45 bear?’

And then I realized that spending an hour building a bear with my daughter was priceless.